No Pope has ever spoken to the Congress before, but the Speaker thinks that it’s fine to offer him a uniquely high honor (and violate the separation of church and state) even though the nation is still majority Protestant (52 percent, more than double the number of Catholics).

Seriously, who thinks any official from the Catholic church can claim moral authority?

The new Pope has been on the job for a year and has gotten praise for his kindness and rejection of the church’s lavish riches. Many in the press loved his first foreign trip, a visit to Lampedusa the southerly island outpost of Italy, where he welcomed Africans fleeing their homelands in search of a European lifestyle.

Allowing the Pope to address Congress is another instance of history being disregarded, specifically the fact that many of America’s early settlers came to escape the tyranny of the Vatican. One example is the Protestant Salzburgers who came to Georgia after thousands were expelled from the homes in Germany by the Catholic archbishop. In addition, the better known Puritans came to escape the Church of England, which they thought retained too many elements of Catholicism.

WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, extended a formal and open invitation Thursday to Pope Francis to address a joint meeting of Congress.

If the pontiff accepts, it would be unprecedented. No pope or religious leader that serves as a head of state has ever addressed Congress, according to the U.S. House Historian’s office.

“His address as a visiting head of state before a joint meeting of the House and Senate would honor our nation in keeping with the best traditions of our democratic institutions,” Boehner said in a statement. ” It would also offer an excellent opportunity for the American people as well as the nations of the world to hear his message in full.”

Boehner, who is Catholic, said Pope Francis has inspired millions of Americans with his “pastoral manner and servant leadership” to reflect on matters of human dignity, freedom and social justice.

“These principles are among the fundamentals of the American idea,” Boehner said, “and though our nation sometimes fails to live up to these principles, at our best, we give them new life as we seek the common good.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also a Catholic, said she joined welcoming Pope Francis to address Congress. Pelosi attended his inauguration at the Vatican and praised him as “a moral force.”

Thursday marks one year since the papal conclave elected Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, after the resignation of Pope Benedict.

Francis marked the occasion on his @Pontifex Twitter account with a simple message to his 3.7 million followers: “Please pray for me.”